Where did the stereotype of “cops having donuts” come from?

24 comments

  1. Diners (which often sold donuts, even if made off-site) and donut shops were often 24 hours or at least were open very early to very late, and served coffee and other easily/quickly made foods.

  2. Them eating donuts lol
    Places would give them extra donuts to eat when they order them when they would get coffee to keep themselves up?

  3. Supposedly, it’s because historically donut shops were one of the only businesses commonly open in the small hours of the morning because that’s when the employees are there preparing the first batch of the day.

    So cops working the overnight shift would stop there for coffee and a snack because it was the only place that was open.

  4. Here in Michigan, there is a place called Cops and Donuts. There was a bakery in the small town of Clare. The owner decided to close the bakery and all of the town’s cops got together and bought the place.

  5. Donut shops and diners (which often had donuts on the menu) were some of the only places that were open very early or very late, combined with the fact that they served coffee and cheap, sugary, and fast food made them popular with cops on late shifts.

  6. When I first moved to Phoenix so, so long ago I didn’t live in the best area of town, and there was a 24hr donut shop not too far from my apartment. I also had insomnia so I would go for nightly runs and the cops would get free coffee from the girl working the graveyard shift so their would almost always be a cop car in the parking lot. I would get coffee there durning my run too and it was nice. I could sip my coffee in peace, no drunk assholes were coming in harassing the immigrant Asian girls that always seemed to be working behind the counter.

  7. If I remember correctly, the story comes from the idea that Donut shops were one of the few places to be opened pretty early as the bakers had to be up to make all their product. This was great for the officers working the overnight shifts as they would be able to relax, have something to eat with probably a cup of coffee, and/or do paperwork in a relatively quiet environment. Meanwhile, the owners never minded it as it was still business and having clearly uniformed police officers present was a great security as only the dumbest of criminals would target a place that has police present. Only thing dumber would be trying to rob an actual police station.

  8. Donut shops are open 24 hours and if you’re a cop working a night shift you could chill in your squad car and wait for a call to come in or you could go to a donut shop. A lot of donut shops will give free coffee to police as well

  9. My family owned a number of Dunkin Donuts franchises in the Chicago area back in the late 60s and 70s. All of the stores were 24 hours (my Dad distinctly remembers having to install locks in the doors when they started closing for Christmas). They used to offer free coffee and donuts to uniformed police officers during the nights because it was a way to give back to the community and had the added benefit of making customers and employees feel safe. My dad said they would have cops stopping by very regularly.

    However, I can’t really say which came first: cops loving donuts or donut shops offering free donuts to cops. My dad telling me those stories definitely fits with the stereotype of cops hanging out at donut stores though.

  12. I have a family member who who is a police officer that doesn’t drink coffee. Whenever this comes up in conversation I ask him what he dips his donuts in. Lol

  13. Donut shops are open during hours when it’s easy to rob a business. Giving cops free donuts has them hanging around your store as well as gives them incentive to actually help you if you ever do find yourself getting robbed.

  15. story. In the city I live in, in the 80’s. A couple of cops left a Dunkin’ or a winchells(can’t remember) and decided to fuck with a homeless guy. The homeless guy got their gun and killed both officers. When the news was reporting it they showed the cop car with a bag of doughnuts on top. Everybody died it was very sad but the doughnut……. I’m going to hell lol

  16. Not so sure, but one cop I know who used to get the cheap grocery store ones (I think he usually got Clyde’s) said that the carbs were for a quick burst of energy. Not that he was terribly fat, but lets just say probably ate too many, but also still could run fast enough and was quite tough, and kind of a butthead, but when you work on an Indian reservation, well yeah, sadly it confirms bad stereotypes to those kind of people.

  17. My mom was a cop; I can tell you it is no stereotype. At least, hanging out in a doughnut shop. It s a good place to take a break between calls, drink a cuppa, and do paperwork. These days any coffee shop is likely, like Starbucks. But in the good ol’ days when this stereotype came about doughnut shops were the most available places to stop.

    Convenience stores are also popular since many are 24 hours. The staff likes them in there because they fear getting robbed at night, and having your store be the regular cop hangout makes them feel more secure.

  18. Some stereotypes are grounded in at least some kind of reality, and this is one of them. Cops work all kinds of shifts 24 hours a day, so obviously some percentage of them drink coffee to stay on the ball. Donut shops have coffee, it’s probably pretty quick at the counter, and why not pick up some donuts as well? These types of places are often open early and are open long hours. In some smaller towns, there are not a ton of other places open. So it’s really the coffee, and the donuts are secondary. If they instead have danishes, muffins, bearclaws, or any other baked sweet good, that’s what you go with along with the coffee.

  19. Other people are talking a lot about the shops hours- which is true. But also, on a steak out or parole car you need food that will keep fine sitting in a car, hot or cold, for an entire shift. As the trope is old, knock it back a few steps in the ol’ technology scale and you get donuts as one of the few options.

  21. A lot of businesses that either open early or stay open late offer cops something free so that there is always a police presence near by

  22. Last week I took my son to the donut shop after school. There were two cop cars outside and four cops sitting in there. I’d say it’s from reality.

    I think it’s b/c a lot of cops work in their cars. When they want a break, there aren’t a ton of places to just grab a snack and chill out – at least before the coffee shop explosion of the 1990s – but this stereotype long predates that. Also, unlike cafes, donut shops are not usually places that get full of people during the day, so the cops can have a snack and a coffee and chill out in peace.

  24. The stereotype comes from Law Enforcement frequently eating donuts and other baked goods.

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